Looking for easy STEAM activities for kindergarten that actually work? Explore hands-on ideas that spark creativity, build problem-solving skills, and fit perfectly into your play-based classroom - with free planning tips included!

Have you ever wanted to incorporate STEM or STEAM into your classroom… but felt overwhelmed by all the prep?

You’re not alone.

Many early years teachers tell me they’d love to teach problem-solving and higher-order thinking in a more hands-on way, but they just don’t have the time to design elaborate lesson plans. Between meeting curriculum expectations, managing behaviour, and planning explicit teaching blocks - it’s no wonder STEM and STEAM often get pushed to the side.

And even if you do have a pocket of time… what actually counts as a ‘real’ STEAM activity?

What’s going to build those critical thinking and collaboration skills we know are so important - not just in school, but in life?

Looking for STEAM activities to challenge your children?

I designed 30 STEAM activities presented as stimulus prompt cards. They engage and challenge my children as they explore concepts in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math. STEAM activities take STEM activities to the next level. The A (Arts) gives children the opportunity to develop their creative thinking skills alongside their critical thinking skills.

My STEAM challenges are a fun way to bring meaningful, hands-on learning into your classroom - without hours of prep! They support deep thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and allow students to explore concepts through open-ended investigations using simple, everyday materials.

That’s exactly why I created my 30 STEAM Prompt Cards - to make it easy for teachers to meet curriculum goals in a play-based way. Whether you’re running a whole-class challenge or setting up an investigation area, these ready-to-go prompts make it so simple to add purposeful STEAM into your week.

Let me show you how easy it can be to integrate creative and critical thinking into your classroom with just a few simple materials.

What is STEAM and Why is it So Powerful in Early Childhood?

STEAM activities are gaining popularity in today’s classrooms. They give children opportunities to develop the skills that will be essential in their future. Employers will be sourcing workers with STEAM capabilities. It makes sense to be developing these skills early.

STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Maths.

STEM stands for just Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.

While STEM has long been a buzzword in education, adding the Arts brings a creative, open-ended element that strengthens problem-solving and innovation. In early childhood, this means children aren’t just learning what to think - they’re learning how to think.

The STEAM curriculum is highly engaging. Children love the challenges of solving problems and approach these activities with enthusiasm. The activities provide opportunities for hands-on learning and integrate seamlessly into the play based classroom.

Research backs this up. As Seymour Papert, the father of constructionism, once said, “The role of the teacher is to create the conditions for invention rather than provide ready-made knowledge.”

Seymour papert quote - “The role of the teacher is to create the conditions for invention rather than provide ready-made knowledge.

In a STEAM activity, those conditions come through collaboration, tinkering, exploration, and inquiry.

STEAM is a great way to build critical thinking and resilience because children are encouraged to test, refine, and try again—much like real engineers and scientists.

Another benefit of incorporating STEAM activities into the classroom is the social aspect. Children are encouraged to collaborate to solve a problem and create a new way of expressing their ideas. Both social skills and oral language skills are always a focus in an early childhood classroom and STEAM challenges are an ideal way to foster them.

This kind of collaboration mirrors the values of the Reggio Emilia approach, where learning is viewed as a social, relational act. In a STEAM task, children bounce ideas off one another, negotiate roles, share discoveries, and often create something no adult could have ever predicted.

The process of working together allows children to learn from each and see solutions they may not have independently thought of. Higher order thinking skills are developed through STEAM activities and include both critical and creative thinking skills.

You’ll often see children using language in more sophisticated ways too - explaining their thinking, persuading peers, or using new vocabulary picked up during the experience. If you’re building a farm habitat or designing a water-carrying tool, the talk that happens during that hands-on work is rich and purposeful.

It’s important to remember the process is the focus of any STEAM activity. The end product is not as important as how it was created. The journey is where the learning happens.

The beauty of STEAM activities is that everyone has something to offer. Everyone can succeed. The activities are innately differentiated. As they do in play, children will work in their zone of proximal development.

Vygotsky called this the “zone of proximal development”—the sweet spot where children are stretched just beyond what they can do on their own but can still succeed with support. And STEAM is naturally aligned with this concept.

Children bring different strengths to the table - some are planners, others are builders, and some will be the creative spark. Everyone contributes.

👉 Want to support higher-order thinking during STEAM time? Check out my blog post on Open-Ended Questions that Promote Higher Order Thinking. In this blog post you’ll find out how open-ended questions can foster higher order thinking and discover practical tips, sample questions, and even how to use these powerful tools to boost critical thinking and student confidence in your STEM inspired classroom.

open ended questions that promote higher oreder thinking

What Do STEAM Activities Look Like in a Play-Based Kindergarten Classroom?

In my play-based classroom, STEAM challenges and kindergarten STEM activities aren’t just a once-a-term special event - they’re embedded into our weekly routine and learning areas. I want my students to engage in open-ended tasks that build critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration in a way that feels hands-on and curiosity-driven. On top of all that, the kids find these types of activities just so much fun!

Whole Class STEAM Challenges

Once a week I timetable in a whole class STEAM challenge. I display the specific prompt straight from the .pdf file onto our interactive panel.

Sometimes the children work individually but more often I have them work with a friend. I like them working collaboratively. Sometimes the children choose their partner and sometimes I choose for them. I usually tell the children who their partner will be as I have noticed if a more able student works with a less able, everyone stays engaged and greater learning takes place.

STEAM activity for kindergarten class — Once a week I timetable in a whole class STEAM challenge. I display the challenge from my STEAM challenge cards onto our interactive panel.

Later in the year, after the children are familiar with the STEAM activities, I might put 3 children together. However, this changes the whole dynamics and sometimes has one child as a spectator so I prefer groups of 2. Collaboration is important as social skills are fostered during STEAM work.

Once the pairs are ready, I set a timer (usually between 15 to 20 minutes) which adds a sense of urgency and keeps them focused. I give them a few minutes to plan and talk before they start building. This planning time is often where the real magic begins. You can hear the student voice come through clearly as they debate ideas, allocate jobs, and think critically about how they’ll approach the task.

The prompts are always open-ended and tied to a curriculum focus. Some might explore shapes, measurement, or science concepts like living things or habitats. The materials are purposefully selected and sometimes a bit unusual to spark new ideas. Think paper straws, rubber bands, plastic cups, or even pom poms.

Once the timer goes off, we immediately stop and down tools (which often results in groans of “Awww!”).

Then we tidy our workspaces and move into a reflection phase. This part is just as important as the build itself. We walk around and observe other teams' constructions, and then regroup to reflect together as a class.

We might ask:

What was tricky about this challenge?
What would you do differently next time?
Did you notice someone using materials in a way you hadn’t thought of?
What worked well for your team - and why?

This debrief encourages metacognition, helps students see value in others’ ideas, and builds that essential higher-order thinking we all want more of in the early years.

Importantly, I remind myself (and my students) that in STEAM, the process matters more than the product. It’s not about whose tower is tallest or which creation looks most polished. It’s about the thinking, decision-making, risk-taking, and teamwork that happened along the way.

Later in the week, I’ll often take that same STEAM prompt and move it into a learning area like the box construction table, collage station, or block area. These provocations allow students to revisit the challenge independently or with a friend, often extending and deepening their original ideas.

STEAM activity for kindergarten small group

This dual approach - whole class challenges and embedded provocations means every child has the chance to explore STEAM concepts in different ways and at their own pace. And best of all, it keeps the learning student-led, authentic, and fun.

Planning Your STEAM Sessions and STEM Challenges with Curriculum Links in Mind

I plan a STEAM challenge with the curriculum learning intentions in mind. I decide if I want a Math, English or Science focus. Here are a few examples of some of our challenges:

Math

How many ways can you represent this number using these resources?
How many ways can you represent this shape?
Use these materials to make a ruler.
Use the materials to make a tool to measure length.

English

Use these resources to make this book character.
Make the setting from this book with these resources.
Design an object that has the /ow/ sound in its name.

I set a time limit on their working time. This helps with engagement and creates a sense of urgency. When the timer goes, we all down tools and I nearly always get complaints! I set the timer for 15 to 20 minutes and give 5 minute and 1 minute warnings. Before I press start on the timer, I remind children to think about how they will be representing their knowledge. I like to give the partners a chance to discuss and plan first.

One of the best parts about using STEAM in a play-based classroom is how easily it aligns with your existing curriculum. You’re not adding ‘another thing’ - you’re reinforcing core outcomes in a hands-on and creative way.

If we’re exploring 2D and 3D shapes in our maths unit, I might set a STEAM challenge to build a model using different shapes, or test which shapes stack best for building the tallest tower. If we’re learning about characters and settings in English, we might use loose parts to build a miniature scene or reimagine a storybook character with recycled materials. These challenges support comprehension, oral language, fine motor skills, and more - all while feeling like play.

When I plan these lessons, I also think about what vocabulary I want children to hear, use, and internalise. Words like measure, represent, balance, design, and join naturally arise during a STEAM challenge and give purpose to our classroom talk.

The open-ended nature of these tasks means you can easily tweak the level of difficulty, change up materials, or adapt them for small groups, whole class, or even fast finishers.

And the best part? They foster genuine student engagement because the work is hands-on, creative, and meaningful.

If you’re looking for a simple way to start, my STEAM Provocation Cards are directly tied to curriculum outcomes, making it easy to grab a card and know your students are working on something purposeful.

STEAM Provocation Cards

What Resources Do I Need for Kindergarten STEAM Activities?

The resources I provide are planned and already prepared. If I’m organised, they are compiled into clip-lock bags. At other times, I put trays or baskets containing the resources around the room and the children are given time to collect the supplies themselves. This happens before the timer starts.

💡 Teacher Tip: Always check each group has the correct supplies before that timer starts. I have compiled a comprehensive list of resources that I use for my STEAM challenges.

You can download the full list for FREE in my Resource Library.

I use resources that are readily available in early childhood classrooms and if not, they can be purchased cheaply.

The key is to keep your materials simple, open-ended, and versatile. Many of my go-to items are things you probably already have: cardboard tubes, rubber bands, paddle pop sticks, masking tape, pipe cleaners, paper plates, plastic cups, cotton balls, string, and paper scraps. These everyday objects become the building blocks of big ideas.

To keep prep quick and easy, I follow a four-part formula when selecting materials:

A base for building (like cardboard, playdough, or paper)
A way to connect (such as glue, tape, or string)
A tool to change or shape something (scissors, hole punch, measuring tools)
A creative wildcard (like pom poms, feathers, coloured gems, or even food colouring)

My 4 Steps in Planning Resources for Kindergarten Students

1. Building Base: When planning the resources to provide in a STEAM activity, I always have 1 or 2 construction materials. These act as a building base. Paper, card or playdough are common. I have many more options in the free download list though. You can easily alter these base materials by changing their attributes. Think about changing the size, shape, colour or texture of paper offered.

2. Joiners: Next, I’ll choose something the children can use to join the base materials. Glue, tape, string or wire perhaps. Again, these can be altered. Glue could be either a glue stick, PVA in a squeeze bottle or maybe a tub of Clag. Tape might be cello-tape, masking tape or washi tape. These are usually included in their clip-lock bag but sometimes I will just tell the children they are free to use glue if they wish. It is interesting to see which glue they use when given that option.

3. Tools: Then I add something that can alter the base building material. Scissors or paper punches might be an option for paper and card. If you are having a focus on measuring in Math, add a ruler as a tool. Pop sticks and toothpicks make great little tools to alter playdough.

4. Creative Oddball: Finally, I add a creative oddball. This inclusion takes the activity from a STEM to a STEAM challenge. I’ll usually look at the collage trolley for some inspiration. I might include a black and a white feather, or 3 pompoms of different sizes, or maybe even all of these. The children are not always required to use every resource I provide unless of course I make that a rule at the start. They are not allowed to use any other materials or tools other than those I provide though.

This structure not only simplifies your planning - it also ensures young students are working with a variety of textures, properties, and problem-solving opportunities.

planning STEAM activities for kindergarten

Want to explore chemical reactions? Add vinegar, baking soda, or citric acid.

Want to challenge balance and height? Try paddle pop sticks, rubber bands, and plastic cups.

You’ll find that the simplest combinations often lead to the most engaging, curiosity-driven learning. In fact, some of the best STEAM activities I’ve seen in my classroom have started with nothing more than a glass jar, some warm water, a few drops of food colouring, and a really good question.

If you're looking for an easy way to get started, my printable list includes over 60 ideas you can sort by purpose or category - whether you're working on engineering skills, fine motor skills, or setting up a STEM challenge related to the natural world.

Download Your FREE Full List of STEAM Resources

You will get access to my FREE Resource Library when you sign up.

In the FREE Resource Library, you'll find the full STEAM resource list along with other practical downloads to make your play-based teaching life easier - like planning templates, classroom labels, and activity prompts.

so join My Teaching Cupboard's Email Group and get teaching inspiration, updates, and new freebies delivered straight to your inbox.

Using STEAM Prompts as Provocations in Learning Areas

In a play-based classroom, learning doesn't stop when the whole-class lesson ends. That’s why I love reusing my STEAM prompts as provocations for play-based learning in our investigation areas. It’s an easy way to deepen thinking and give children more time, space, and freedom to explore concepts in their own way.

After we’ve used a STEAM challenge as a whole-class task, I’ll often display the same prompt again - this time in a learning area like the block corner, box construction, or the playdough table. The shift from structured challenge to open-ended exploration allows children to revisit the experience with new ideas and take it in unexpected directions.

What I have found useful, is to take the STEAM prompt from a whole class challenge and then place it in an investigation area the following week is a wonderful way to have children expand their thinking and build on what they learned in the whole class lesson.

My STEAM activity cards play a vital role as provocations in my investigation areas. I use them regularly at the play dough table, in the box construction area, at the wooden blocks, with lego and at the collage table. The prompt card I choose to display always relates to a current curriculum learning intention. I plan and design specific provocations around both the learning intention and the resources I have.

For example, when we were learning about 3D shapes, I set up a simple provocation with sand in a tray, wooden blocks, glass gems, and pop sticks. I try to add something which is not obviously related to the task (like the glass gems). It’s interesting to see whether the children choose to use that material and what they do with it. The STEAM prompt encouraged students to create something using a variety of 3D forms. Some children built towers, others built tunnels—and a few just explored how to stack and balance in the sand. No two constructions were alike.

When we were learning about living things and their habitats, I added a farm-themed prompt to our blocks construction area. I offered some farm animals, blocks, fabric and stones.

Sometimes the children will get a resource from another part of the classroom and I encourage that resourceful thinking. These STEAM challenges are not as strict as the whole class activities.

A few children made barns, others created enclosures and fences, while one group carefully built a chicken coop complete with a soft feather nest. It was all based on the same challenge card - but the outcomes were as varied as the children themselves.

That’s the beauty of STEAM in a Reggio-inspired classroom: the child leads the learning.

The provocation acts as the spark, but what they do with it is up to them.

As Loris Malaguzzi famously said, “The child has a hundred languages.” Through these provocations, we honour those languages - whether they’re building, storytelling, arranging, testing, or problem-solving.

These open-ended activities give children the chance to:

Revisit and extend ideas from earlier in the week
Apply their thinking using different materials
Work independently or in pairs, at their own pace

💡 Teacher Tip: Repeat and revisit! Leaving a STEAM prompt in a learning area for several days encourages deeper exploration. You’ll often see new ideas emerge on day two or three - especially when children are given the freedom to experiment and return on their own terms.

Want more ideas for how to design engaging provocations across your classroom? Read my blog post on 3 Easy Steps to Setting Up Provocations for Play-Based Learning for practical strategies and real-life examples.

3 easy steps to setting up a learning provocation

Reflection and Discussion: The Key to Deep Learning

It is very important to review and reflect on the STEAM challenge with the children. This reflection helps the children process their learning and thinking. When the timer goes, we stop building immediately. After the initial “Ohhh Nooo!”, we clean up our work space. Then the children are free to walk around and observe other teams results. I often hearing them question each other or offer some constructive feedback to one another.We will then return to the carpet meeting place and have a class discussion reflecting on the task. Some points we might discuss include:

How effective were the materials for this task?
What’s another material you would have liked included?
What problems did you face? How did you tackle that problem?
What was successful for you? Why?
Was there too much time allowed or not enough?
What would you change next time?
Did you see a great idea from another team?

This post-build reflection is where much of the real thinking happens. It's the moment children begin to make their thinking visible - to themselves, to each other, and to you. It gives them a chance to verbalise their strategies, revisit their decisions, and analyse the outcome of their collaboration.

Sometimes, the most unexpected insights come from these conversations: a quiet child confidently explaining their design, or a group realising they solved a problem in a completely new way. It’s also when children start connecting their STEAM experience to broader ideas like how we use measurement in our daily lives, why some materials are better for building than others, or how teamwork changes outcomes.

This reflection process doesn’t need to be long or formal. A quick round of thoughtful questions can spark rich discussions and cement learning. I often use prompts like:

What was the best part of working together today?
Did you try something and change your mind halfway through?
If you had one more minute, what would you do next?

And of course, it’s a great time to celebrate the process over the product. This helps children understand that being curious, making mistakes, trying again, and learning from others are all part of what it means to be a successful thinker and learner.

Asking open-ended questions also builds oral language, extends vocabulary, and promotes higher-order thinking skills. If you're looking for more prompts to guide these discussions, take a look at my blog post on Open-Ended Questions that Promote Higher Order Thinking.

Reflection time is a powerful teaching tool and one that transforms a hands-on activity into a deep learning experience.

And best of all? It’s completely driven by student voice.

STEAM Challenges That Support the 4 C’s

If you’ve heard of 21st-century learning skills, you’ll know the 4 C’s are front and centre: critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. The beauty of STEAM activities is that they naturally support all four.- without needing a separate lesson or worksheet.

In every STEAM challenge, children are invited to:

Think critically about how to solve a problem using the materials provided
Communicate their ideas clearly to a partner or small group
Collaborate to build, test, and adjust their creations
Create something new from simple materials in a hands-on way

It’s not something you have to force. These skills emerge organically through the challenge itself.

Take for example our “tallest tower” challenge. A group of children might begin by stacking plastic cups and paddle pop sticks, only to discover the structure wobbles. One child suggests using rubber bands to brace it and another adds paper scraps to level the base. They test, revise, negotiate and celebrate every small success. It’s more than just an engineering project - it’s real-world learning in action.

What I love most is how STEAM challenges support different types of learners. Some children dive straight into the materials, others want to draw a plan first, and a few might take a leadership role in the group. Each child brings something unique. There’s no one right way to approach a problem and no one “correct” answer. That’s where the magic lies.

And it’s not just about academic outcomes. I’ve seen children develop resilience, empathy, and a growing love of learning through these kinds of open-ended, hands-on activities. They start to see themselves as capable learners - thinkers, tinkerers, builders, and creators.

In a world where we don’t know what jobs our students will have in the future, the 4 C’s are some of the most important life skills we can teach. We need to build a strong foundation, espaecially in our young learners and there’s no easier, more joyful way to teach them than through a play-based STEAM activity.

Making STEAM Easy, Purposeful, and Playful

STEAM doesn’t need to be complicated, messy, or time-consuming. In fact, some of the most meaningful learning in my classroom has come from the simplest STEAM challenges - just a handful of everyday objects, a great prompt, and a big question to solve.

These kinds of open-ended, play-based activities are not only engaging, they’re also incredibly purposeful. They support the curriculum, encourage deep thinking, build problem-solving skills, and spark creativity. Best of all, they make learning feel like fun.

Let’s quickly recap:

STEAM activities for kindergarten support the development of higher-order thinking and align beautifully with the Australian curriculum.
They promote critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication—the 4 C’s every child needs to thrive.
You don’t need expensive materials or fancy equipment—just a few simple items and a thoughtful prompt.
Whether you run them as a whole-class challenge or embed them into your learning areas, STEAM tasks help students think deeply, solve problems, and learn together.

So if you’ve been wondering how to fit STEM or STEAM into your week without overhauling your entire program - this is your answer. A simple, hands-on and fantastic way to help your younger students develop real-world thinking skills… and enjoy every moment of it.

Want to make your STEAM planning easy?

Grab my 30 STEAM Prompt Cards - designed especially for play-based teachers who want purposeful, open-ended, low-prep challenges that cover key outcomes in science, technology, engineering, arts and maths.